Wednesday, March 13, 2013

British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston have both won awards at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards, Tuesday, March 12, 2013, in London.Strictly speaking, Cumberbatch’s award was an indirect one. He starred in Parade’s End, which won the Best TV Drama Award. Would it have done so if he were not in it? Would it have garnered as many viewers?I don’t think so, and neither does Susanna White, who directed the series. She told Britain’s Radio Times: “I think Benedict is one of the finest actors of his generation. And we were really lucky to get him because without him, Parade’s End would be nothing like it is.”Parade’s End is set in the days before, during and after World War I and is based on a series of novels by Ford Madox Ford. It can be still be seen on HBO and HBO Canada. (Click to see the HBO schedule, or the HBO Canada schedule.)

As for Tom Hiddleston, The Guardian reported that he: “. . .picked up the Times breakthrough award for his acting in The Hollow Crown and films including War Horse and Avengers Assemble.”

The Hollow Crown was a four-part BBC series of Shakespeare’s plays: Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; Henry V. Tom Hiddleston was in all of them except for Richard II. He played Prince Hal, son of Henry IV, and then went on to play Henry V. The series was shown in Britain in 2012 as part of that country’s Olympic celebrations, and will be shown on PBS in the U.S. (much) later this year.Hiddleston played the troubled villain Loki (fangirls love to love him) in Thor and the film that’s simply known as The Avengers in other countries. It’s called Avengers Assemble in Britain to distinguish it from the TV series that starred Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee. (Oh! The Internet says that Macnee is 91. Bravo! )READ MORE: http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/03/12/benedict-cumberbatch-and-tom-hiddleston-win-new-awards-and-their-loyal-fan-armies-rejoice/